Teens rally to spread faith: Christian youth group says TV needs less violence, sex
By Nicole Geary
Lansing State Journal
Local teens crowded on the Capitol steps in cold, drizzly rain Friday to pray, sing and hope for their generation's future. They joined Christians in at least 50 cities across the country holding BattleCry rallies against today's negative influences. "The media today just stuffs us with all these lies, teaching us terrible, immoral things," said Heather Lantz, 18, of Lansing's New Covenant Christian Church. "They don't care what happens to us ... so many of us are going down the drain."
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The teens want adults, lawmakers and popular television channels such as MTV and BET to change a culture of apathy toward youth violence, sex, substance abuse, suicide and more. "We look at the statistics, shake our heads and say that's too bad," said Jessie Still, youth pastor at Spirit of Christ Church in Haslett. "But we don't leave ourselves any room to say it's wrong." Kids at Friday's rally hoped to spread their guide for making choices: God. "Our generation has been losing faith," said 16-year-old Ed Raby, who came with a youth group from Perry. "It's just a matter of us standing up for what we believe in." Contact Nicole Geary at 377-1066 or ngeary@lsj.com.
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(Photo by CHRIS HOLMES/Associated Press)
Tackling television: Dillon Telfer, 13, rides on the back of Josh Dillon, 14, on Friday as their youth BattleCry at the Capitol was about to begin. Both are from Ovid.
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On the Web
• Among teens' top 20 TV shows, 70 percent include sexual content and 45 percent include sexual behavior, according to a 2005 Kaiser Family Foundation study. Visit www.kff.org.
• For more information about the nationwide BattleCry movement, led by Teen Mania Ministries, visit www.battlecry.com.
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